THE LONG WAY HOME

The Bharat Jodo Yatra has given new purpose to a moribund Congress, but people still do not see it as an electoral alternative to the BJP nationally. Even a national opposition alliance now seems a little remote

- KAUSHIK DEKA

Six months is a long a time in politics. When the previous India Today Mood of the Nation (MOTN) poll was conducted in August 2022, the Congress was in disarray. It was reeling under electoral losses in five states—Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. The leadership crisis was not yet resolved. Sonia Gandhi was the interim president of the party but son Rahul Gandhi, despite resigning as president owning responsibility for the 2019 Lok Sabha election defeat, remained de facto chief of the party. The Udaipur ‘chintan shivir’, held in May 2022 to introspect the party’s abysmal performances, had decided to hold an election to find a new Congress president. But speculation was rife that Rahul or his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would present their candidature and make the presidential election a no contest. Word was out that the party would organise a massive padayatra (walkathon) across the country, but there was no clarity on its structure or course. In short, there was little hope of any change in the way the Congress has been functioning in India’s political landscape.